Staring into Shadows
by Wykner
Summary: What's in a name to a man that has many? William Carter, magician. Maxwell Carter, King of Shadows. After stumbling into a deadened world, the owner of both is forced to reckon with who he is...and what he will be.
1. Chapter 1

It was a smoky little joint, well-hidden within a labyrinth of alleyways that few dared to enter during the day, let alone at night. Rats. Gangs. Who could guess, really. All the twiggy magician- stepping out of his taxi a few meters away from the nightclub- really knew was that the invitation had come embossed in gold, written in a sloping cursive, sealed with wax still warm to the touch. A name had been signed within, one that the magician hadn't recognized at first but, as usual, with a little bit of asking around everything revealed itself.

Boss Nihlson. As far as mobsters went, he was as crooked as they came: "advisor" to the mayor. Owned half the town. Cross him, and you'd pay the price. Either in greenbacks, or, if you were unlucky, in splintered joints.

The magician had been involved with the mob before- briefly- but it hadn't gone well. He had told Charlie all of it when he'd got the invitation, and to nobody's surprise she wasn't happy. If the magician remembered correctly, she'd said something along the lines of: _William, you'd have to be an idiot to get into that again- _his assistant was right, of course- she generally was but this was the audience that William Carter had always dreamed of. Influential. Powerful. He wouldn't give up this chance just out of the fear of getting a few bones broken.

The Amazing Maxwell was brave like that. Or stupid.

Naturally, Charlie had insisted on going as well. She'd be there in a few minutes, stepping out of her own ride in that deep maroon overcoat she had purchased with her share of last week's profits. Probably wearing that same exasperated half-smile she'd had when they'd parted ways that after noon. _Don't think that I suddenly approve of it or anything, but I could use the money too. And...besides, I'd have to be the rottenest girlfriend in existence to let you go in there alone. _She had paused then and Carter remembered his cheeks turning red as the rose in her hatband. Girlfriend. He still couldn't believe it to be honest, that someone like _Charlie_, a bold, quick-witted flapper, would ever choose the likes of him as a companion. He had tried to become a man she could be proud of- The Amazing Maxwell- but things never really seemed to go the way he planned.

Carter fingered the small lump in his pocket. He could hear something clink, and winced as his face, Pavlovian, began to burn scarlet again.

Everything would be perfect tonight though. It would _have_ to be.

Breaking his string of thoughts, a door slammed a few meters behind Carter. He whirled around and, for a moment, panicked when he saw nothing. But before the magician could reach for the Codex, nestled snug and safe in his coat pocket, he received a gentle tap on the shoulder.

"Hey Maxy."

And there she was.

Carter gave what he hoped was a crookedly endearing smile and, before he could lose his nerve, planted a quick kiss on Charlie's cheek. The assistant looked almost surprised-at any rate, she was usually the one to initiate any kind of physical contact- but not necessarily displeased.

"You're really getting quite good," he told her, "I mean- you've only been practicing for a few months, right? Before I know it, I might find myself competing with _The Magnificent Charlie_."

The flapper's eyes widened, a touch too much to be real surprise. "Wow Maxy, thanks! Looks like I'm going to have to break it off here then. Good luck on the road."

Carter, raised his eyebrows just shakily enough that anyone could see he still believed her a little. "Mmmm. Okay then."

He gazed at her straight-on-

She stared him dead in the eye-

One minute…

Two…

Someone finally let out a snicker. Whether they were Carter or Charlie, it was impossible to tell. And, quite frankly, it didn't matter. Within the span of a few seconds, the two of them, just a few steps from the realm of gangsters and bootleggers, were laughing hysterically.

Needless to say, it was a sight to behold.

"God, you should have seen the look on your face!" The woman grinned. "You were terrified!"

"Oh what? Like you weren't!"

Charlie let out a little snort, then burrowed gently beneath Carter's long noodle of an arm. "You think so. Really?"

Carter paused. "Maybe a little. You'd know it better than me though."

"Damn…" The shorter woman paused a few moments deep in contemplation. "I guess you're right. Maybe The Amazing Maxwell and His Wondrously Fabulous Assistant Charlie are a package deal."

"Maybe they are." The package in his pocket was burning as the magician gave his companion a quiet smile. He loved her thoughtful moments just as much as her boundless enthusiasm.

She smiled back at him too, but Carter noticed that the smile didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.

Charlie took a breath. "...Maxy, I was wondering, before we go in, do we have a few moments to talk. I was looking around for the props and I think I stumbled upon-"

But she never finished, for at that moment another conversationalist entered the fray. He was a large man, fitted in a tweed colored jacket with a carnation pinned upon his lapel. Almost as tall as Carter which was a feat that few people could brag of and undoubtedly able to take him in a fight, a feat that many could. At his side, two others wearing a mix of rags and gaudy looking finery took the two performers in. A knife hung at the shorter one, a man,'s side. The taller woman seemed to keep her daggers in her eyes.

"Well then," the first of the three said, "You must be the entertainment, then. The Amazing Maxwell, I presume?"

The magician straightened his back, let himself fall into character, stretching his lips into what he hoped looked like a suitably terrifying grin. Even if William Carter might be shaking in his boots, Maxwell should be able to go toe to toe with any mob boss. Conversing with demons nightly would do that to a man.

"You presume correctly." Carter-as-Maxwell replied, "Mr. Nihlson."

The mob boss raised an eyebrow. It was a simple matter of deduction really- from the cloths to the deferential looks by the two at his side- but, for some reason, clients always seemed to be impressed when he pulled it off. A different sort of magic, Carter had always supposed.

"You are as keen as they say," Nihlson said at last, "This means, I suppose, that you, my dear, must be Charlie?"

The magician spotted a small flutter of displeasure cross the woman's face beside him. He had learned early on that any terms of endearment were for close friends and with Charlie's permission only.

"Miss Rosenstein, if you please," she said, keeping her tone and face just on the verge of friendly.

The boss lifted his chin and, for a moment, Carter froze, fearing the worst. Memories skittered through his mind- a hefty man named George Witherspoone. Splintered fingers, fractured jaw. A battered apartment abandoned as dawn rose.

He forced a smile and as his voice came out, it was with a decidedly un-Maxwellian quaver. "Mr. Nihlson, I'm afraid that my assistant and I are going to need time and room to prepare if, tonight, you truly want to experience the mysteries of the supernatural."

The mobster gave a loud sniff- as though he could smell the fear that fell from Carter like a summer's rain- then smiled. "Oh very well." He glanced to his two companions and gave a quick jerk of his left wrist. "I suppose you can take Maxwell, here, and _Miss_ Rosenstein to the backstage then. Help them set up a little. If they need it. After all, the entertainment tonight should be _amazing_."

"Amazing."

It was a thinly veiled threat and both of the performers knew it. For whatever reason, Boss Nihlson would be expecting a perfect show from them tonight. And if not...well, Carter could imagine a few ideas of what might happen to them. Ranging from mild injury to a final curtain call.

As the two followed their guides- captors really- into the smoky speakeasy along the alleyway, the magician glanced to the woman at his side. Though Charlie's face was set in stone, he could see the pale leaching into her cheeks. She had been right- this was a bad idea- and now, Carter thought with a cold spike of dread, she was in danger too. But the flapper didn't _have_ to come. She'd wanted the money too.

And...well, and she didn't want to leave him alone.

Carter let his hand fall to his side where Charlie could reach it easily. As their fingers brushed together, he bit his lip and made a decision. They'd both be getting out of this in one piece, no matter what. He'd see to it.

This was going to be a spectacular show.


	2. Chapter 2

p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The minutes flew by in the usual preparations. Both performers got into costume, Charlie with a bright red dress she claimed was discarded by her older sister and Maxwell with his three-piece, striped with shadows in the dim dressing room light. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Instinctively, he reached for the Codex Umbra, only to find in a sharp twinge of panic that the book was missing. Had he dropped it outside somehow? The guards pickpocketed it? Without the Codex, there was no doubt that any show that night would be a miserable-/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""emHonestly/em. Don't have kittens, Maxy," Charlie said, face to the mirror as she applied a thin layer of eyeliner. "It's over by your coat. I swear- it's like you're dating that book instead of me."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Carter's face burned as he grabbed the Codex. The package in his pocket jingled dangerously. "Of course not," he replied, then after a few minutes flipping through the pages to calm his nerves, "Do you mind if I borrow some of that?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Mmmm. No problemo. Give me another moment and…" Charlie tossed him the cosmetic. He fumbled once, twice, but then grasped the eyeliner firmly in hand. "Seriously though. We have to talk about that thing."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""What about?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Well..." the shorter woman glanced over her shoulder to the magician's face. "I don't know if you've noticed or not, but that book is kind of, uh, emcreepy/em."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Oh." Carter shrugged, etching a heavy line of black in the corner of his left eye. "Well, it emis/em shadow magic. I think it's supposed to be creepy."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"He raised his eyebrows teasingly and grinned at Charlie. This was usually the part in which she'd roll her eyes and tell him to hush up, that she was in on the act too. After all, who believes in such a thing as shadow magic? Not a modern, sensible American woman. Or even a moderately superstitious Englishman. Except that, of course, Carter did. And if Charlie had seen the things that he had, he was fairly sure that she would believe in it too./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"A darkened sky, the moon at midday./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Wounds knit together in seconds./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"A rumble that was not a train engine or a circus wagon, not, in fact, entirely of this world./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"But Carter had never been able to think of a way to show her. At least a way that wouldn't, by the end of it, make her think he was a freak. So he'd watch and wait, for some opportunity, any, to convince her that the magic he worked was real./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Charlie bit her lip, leaving a slight smear of lipstick on her teeth. "Listen Max...I know it's a magician's secret and all, but, really, how emdo/em you make those things onstage? The shadows?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""I…" Carter forced a laugh. "I...honestly don't think you would believe me if I told you."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Try me." The stagehand put her hands on her hips in a way that was both intimidating and positively sexy, "When you hired me, Maxwell, it was because I had, and I quote, 'a keen interest in the mysteries of the universe.' Whatever the hell you do onstage, that's got to be one of them. And, no big surprise, I'm eminterested./em"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""I know." Carter sighed as he sank into one of the dressing room's flimsy folding chairs. "And I want to tell you too, Charlie. I mean, emcertainly!/em"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"He wasn't lying./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""-but I...need a bit more time. To make sure it's not too strange. Or shocking. And that I don't, /spanspan style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"uh/spanspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"...scare you away?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The woman snorted. "Believe me, it'd take more than a emboatload/em of crazy to scare Charlotte Esther Rosenstein. But if you don't want to tell me now, I won't make you." She sighed. "As long as you're okay, I mean. Believe it or not, Maxy, I think you're pretty amazing too. And I don't want you to get hurt."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Carter's heart throbbed. The package in his pocket seemed to pulse in time and he wondered if this was it, this was the right moment-/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The door flew open with a loud creak./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Hey you two goops!" It was the shorter man, knife still glittering at the side of his pantleg. "Time to get the show on the road- Boss Nihlson's waiting!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The performers exchanged uneasy glances and suddenly, the reality of the situation, came rushing back to Carter. If the two of them didn't do well tonight, there wouldn't embe/em any opportunity to tell Charlie about the wondrous things things he'd see with the Codex Umbra. In fact, there wouldn't be any opportunity for anything at all./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The magician fingered the package in his pocket./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Then with as much dignity as possible, he cleared his throat. "Tell Boss Nihlson that it'll be a couple more minutes. Well-" he paused to give what would hopefully pass for an arrogant sniff, "if he wants the act to be emperfect/em, anyhow."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"It was a risk, threading the line between impudence and artistic flakiness, but for a few more minutes with Charlie, Carter would make that bet./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The shorter gangster glared at the two of them for a minute, seeming to sense the magician's gamble, but at he last stormed off, grumbling something about "idiot divas."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Carter heaved a sigh of relief as Charlie let out a nervous giggle. "God, these people are scary." she muttered "I guess I take back anything I said about your boatload of crazy if it has to do with gangsters."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""It doesn't- don't worry," the other performer reassured, though he emhad/em seen something in the Codex Umbra referring to the shadow beasts as "mobs." Probably not the same thing though. Right?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The stagehand gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Phew. For a moment there you had me convinced you were secretly a magician mob boss."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""A emwhat/em?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""You know. You'd give a bunch of orders to all the other illusionists and bam! Shadow puppets!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""That doesn't explain anything at all." Carter arched an eyebrow, struggle to hide his half-grin. "Besides, can you really imagine emme /embeing a gangster?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Heh. Not really." Charlie shook her head, a similar smile etched upon her lips. "You've got too much class." As the magician turned the same scarlet as her dress, his stagehand's face turned more serious. "Honestly though Max, we emshould/em take a break. My sister's got a cabin up at BC that she said we could use if the performance circuit ever got slow. I think we should take her up on the offer."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"For a moment, Carter could only stare at her, dumbfounded. Out of all the wonderful, perfect lips in the world, hers were the last he'd thought would ever say such a thing. "But...what about Los Angeles? The films? Didn't you say you wanted to-"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Oh come on Maxy!" Charlie's voice sounded bright as the sputtering lamp hung bolted to the dressing room wall. "There'll be other chances. It's not like the industry's dying or anything."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Carter shook his head, confused. The first few moments he met the stagehand played back in his mind: the two of them sitting side by side in a saloon bar. Him fiddling with his glasses wondering if this whole thing had been a huge mistake. Her grinning because it emreally did/em take a whole boatload of crazy to scare Charlotte Esther Rosenstein. He had shown her a bit of magic-first parlour tricks then the real deal- just so that she knew what she was signing on to. Dark things. Messy things. Possibly dangerous. Yet when she saw it all, the first thing out of his future stagehand's mouth was: "I'm in. This act has the chops to make it all the way."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The very British William Carter, of course, hadn't the emfaintest/em clue what that meant and at the moment was also too afraid to ask./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"But as the weeks went by and he had learned more about Charlie-bombastic, brave, clever-as-hell Charlie- not to mention a bit more of American slang, Carter had begun to piece it all together. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Movies are the way to go," she had mentioned once. They were spread out at a cafe table, staring a map that, according to the shopkeeper Carter had gotten it from, showed every major city in the West. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"As Carter's eyes kept drifting to Corona, Charlie had been tapping Los Angeles with the head of a pencil. "Stage acts'll probably make up the main mode of entertainment for a while longer but my sister's in industry and she says that film technology keeps getting better and better. It's not long before everybody's going to flip out over them. I want to get in while there's still an open spot."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Acting?" Carter had asked, finally tearing his eyes from the map to glance at his companion./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Charlie shook her head. "Screenwriting. I want to write things that make people scream. Like emFrankenstein-/em or emDracula/em maybe- but more intricate and strange."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"It was all Carter could do to hold his tongue about the shadow creatures./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Probably why I signed on in the first place, to be honest." The American shrugged, seeming to sense his thoughts. "I've seen stage magicians before, and never been particularly impressed- but none of them do anything like you."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Imagine if she had met you six months ago. /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The thought soured on Carter's tongue before he could swallow it down, deep into the pits of his stomach. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"No- it didn't matter. It couldn't. The man he had been before the Codex Umbra, if not already dead, was on the verge of being out of his life forever./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"So, forcing his face into a smile, Carter brushed his hand along the edges of the map. "So Los Angeles then?" The magician had said, "You think we can make it big?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Charlie nodded, a mischievous look flitting across her face. "We'll blow their minds."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"And so two months later, in the dressing room of a San Francisco speakeasy the magician couldn't help but refuse her offer. There was too much at stake in Los Angeles. Too much for both of them./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""LA first," he replied, "then break. We've been working for this far too long to give up our chance."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The American gave him an exasperated sort of look-but it never quite reached her eyes, which still gleamed with a desire she couldn't quite smother. A desire that Carter couldn't help but recognize. "Really," he added, "I'll be fine."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"And every iota of the words were true, too. Though Carter's nightly attempts to decode the shadows' whispers often ended in frustration, the magician was certain he knew what he was doing. He had made it this far, right?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Charlie glared into the dressing room mirror with a fierce sort of pensiveness./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""So is that a yes?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"His fingers danced upon the Codex Umbra with the nervous energy of an addict. The stagehand bit her lip, her eyes meeting the book for a second then turning away./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""A yes...with certain caveats. Which we can discuss later when not in the den of the mob."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Of course," Carter agreed. "When we don't have a show to run. What do you say Charlie? Are you ready to wow them?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""We'll hit on all sixes." The stagehand took a breath, replacing her anxiety with a bright smile. She was a near-perfect illusionist, Carter thought, but he could still spot the slightest quaver of her lips, the smallest shake in her voice./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"He pocketed the Codex Umbra for a moment and took her hand. The two stood in silence for a few minutes, squeezing each other's fingers as though the flesh, clammy with fear, was some sort of good luck charm, the only thing that could make the world right again./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Then the moment was gone./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The door flew open with a resounding thud as Boss Nihlson's companions, both the short man and the tall woman, stormed into the room./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Time's up," said the first of the two, fingering the knife at his waist. "Boss-man says you do the act now or we take you out back and slit your throats."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The performers peeled apart and the magician rose to his feet, shakily trying to summon a bit more of the fearlessness that had always eluded him. Then he cleared his throat, fingering the Codex Umbra. "Don't rush me, fools. Unless you want a full taste of what the Amazing Maxwell can do."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Neither really looked as intimidated as Carter was hoping- but the woman did take a nervous step backward. The shorter man snorted, turning to his partner. "He's bullshitting you. It's all a performance."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"He was right, of course. But the magician was of the firm opinion that if you played a role long enough, then maybe a little bit of it could dribble into you./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"He took a step closer, looming over them both like a skyscraper. "A performance, you say? How utterly naive. Every twitch of the hands, every throb of your heart, every movement you see in the corner of your eye...all of it is emhorrifically /emreal."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The two exchanged hesitant glances. Standing behind him, Charlie was doing what appeared to be her best attempt at keeping a straight face. She knew the act by heart at this point./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""You'd better believe him, " she warned with eyes slightly too wide to be serious. "After what he did to that last audience member- you remember him, right Maxy, the one who didn't clap… why I don't think I'll ever forget the sight. There are some things you really emjust /emshouldn't do with a dismembered eyeball."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Mmm, you're right darling. But he emwas /emrather asking for it…" Carter gave a dramatic sigh. "Now what were you two saying about slitting our throats…?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"For a moment, everything was silent./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""That's what I thought." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""B-but the boss really does need you to perform," the short man muttered. The woman beside him nodded, still saying nothing as her gaze flickered wildly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Charlie patted her arm, gently. "Now, now. You only have to ask politely. We're certainly emready/em to do the show, aren't we Maxy?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The magician made a show of shrugging. "The shadows know not day or night. They will perform at any moment."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""See? Everything's fine. You just need to show us the stage, okay?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""...'right then." The tall woman was actually the one who responded, with a quiet rasp. "Follow me then. Please."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The performers were lead down a dim, scrunched looking hallway that looked more like a passage for bootleggers than part of the nightclub. Carter almost bumped his head on a lowered doorway in but ducked just in time to avoid utter humiliation. As he did, he came face to face with Charlie./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The whites of her eyes were fixed on him as though she had been staring the whole time. The magician was thankful that the tunnel was dark enough that she couldn't see his heavy blush. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Charlie grinned, a flash of shining teeth. "So Amazing Maxwell," she whispered, "I never thought 'the shadows knew not day or night.'" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Please. You were the one who started talking about the 'dismembered eyeball." Carter smiled. "Very creative."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Can't be a horror writer without the ability to make up something gruesome right on the spot, right?" The stagehand fiddled with a glove then slid her hand into the magician's. Her eyes grew unfocused as though she glimpsed something deep in the darkness, something Carter couldn't quite see./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""We're going to make it, Maxwell," she sighed. "Not just this performance I mean, but the future. I have a feeling."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""I'm glad," the magician whispered, feeling the box in his pocket pulsating with the rhythm of his heart. "Charlie, I-I think I lo-"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The lights of the speakeasy hit them hard, like a bullet to the pupil, and momentarily stunned both magician and stagehand. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, Carter found himself face to face with Boss Nihlson, his nose just a few inches from the mobster's forehead./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Maxwell. emMiss/em Rosenstein." The large man smirked."I trust you're ready to perform."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The magician made a show of glancing around the room. "Certainly. I believe this environment shall be quite conducive to the spirit realm." In truth, Carter actually had no clue. He wasn't lying when he said earlier that the shadows couldn't tell the difference between the times of day. But a quick once-over was key for determining the mood of the audience. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Not to mention the identity of the person Boss Nihlson was so eager to please./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"As the mobster turned to the side, signalling with the quick flip of his wrist for one of the employees to start the show, Charlie elbowed Carter in stomach. The height difference was too much for anything else./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Psst Maxy." She hissed. "Look at that gal. Over to the right. Dark hair, sharp-looking hat."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"He let his gaze drift through the crowd, as nonchalantly as possible, and just as the people at the scattered tables stood up to clap, he spotted the woman Charlie was talking about. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Then did a double take./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Please tell me I'm seeing things," he whispered back to his assistant but she only shook her head. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""I'd recognize that face anywhere. I mean, she's in the rag enough to warrant her share of the sales. It's really her Maxy."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Bugger." The magician muttered. Because if it really was Virgina Vanderbilt, "Birdie" to her friends, heiress to one of the largest railroad companies in the world to everyone else, then they were in more trouble than he thought. "We're done for."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Charlie elbowed him again, managing to reach the bottom of the ribcage this time. "We're emfine/em." she hissed "Just do what you do every night and by the end of the evening, she'll be goofy for the both of us. Think about it, Maxy, this could be our big break!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The magician paused a moment, presumably thinking about it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;""Go big or go home," he sighed. Go big or get shot was more like it. If the two of them couldn't manage to impress the railroad mogul, there was no doubt that they wouldn't be alive the next morning. But Charlie emdid /emseem to have faith in him and, from what he knew, that didn't come easy./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"As the employee finished up his introductory jabber, Carter- no, Maxwell now- took a few deep breaths at the side of the stage. He fingered the small package in his pocket./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Things would be fine. They'd have to be./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"And just as he'd finished thinking this, the lead-in came to a close. "And now Nihlson's Night-Owled is proud to present the emAmazing Maxwell/em, performing feats to emastound/em and emmystify./em"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"The magician and his assistant exchanged a glance./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"He nudged a foot forward./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Then with a slow, sweeping, utterly rehearsed swagger, the Amazing Maxwell took to the stage./span/p 


End file.
